Clashes break out as hundreds of thousands protest in France

Hundreds of thousands of people marched across France on Saturday to protest police violence and the rising cost of living, including high fuel prices, inflation, and strained public services. The demonstrations, which coincided with Halloween, brought together trade unions, students, and a small number of Yellow Vest protesters. While the third consecutive weekend of nationwide protests was largely peaceful through the afternoon, tensions erupted in several cities later in the day.

In Paris, clashes occurred at the end of a march when a group of masked individuals dressed in black used hammers to pry up paving stones to throw at police. The police prefecture stated that a hard core of several hundred rioters attacked officers with projectiles, including a Molotov cocktail. Police responded with baton charges and tear gas.

In Lyon, projectiles were thrown at police, prompting the use of tear gas, while in Toulouse, police used water cannons against an unauthorized protest involving several thousand people, mostly young demonstrators. The National UAE reported that tensions also occurred at the end of unauthorized protests in Marseille.

The Times of Israel noted that attendance was down from previous weekends. The protests in France have also inspired youth-led demonstrations in several German cities and Italy.

Brief written by urgent.news from Toronto Sun, South China Morning Post, The National UAE, The National Business, The Times of Israel — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.